How Revival Starts at Home: Christian Parenting & Family Discipleship with Mutheu Esilaba

What if revival could begin in your living room through simple moments of faith with your kids?

In this kickoff episode for the new season of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Mutheu Esilaba, family ministry director and lifelong disciple-maker from Nairobi, Kenya. Together, they dive into practical ways Christian parenting can ignite purpose, spiritual growth, and inspiration in family life—revealing how even the busiest families can make time to raise kids rooted in faith at home and spark a hunger for God across generations.

• [00:02:49] Mutheu’s journey: From Nairobi, Kenya to family ministry in Michigan
• [00:13:18] What “revival” means for Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Christian families today
• [00:20:28] Practical steps for discipleship and spiritual growth in the home
• [00:27:41] Real stories of transformation—kids, parents, and revival at church

Resources:

• Website: collidekidspodcast.com, upeoshop.com

• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Quote Finder:

Cultural Perspectives on Poverty: "And we went to this like soup kitchen and all the Westerners are like, this is so sad. And we're like, this is great food. What's the problem? So it was just so interesting."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:08:16 → 00:08:27]

Viral Topic: Kids Want a Bigger God  
"And began to watch kids and students desire a bigger God than we were offering and need a bigger God than we were offering because they were going through heavy things. And this cute little plastic one that fits in your pocket wasn’t big enough."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:15:06 → 00:15:19]

Gen Z's Spiritual Hunger: "she's an expression of this, like, hungry, running to Jesus. I just want to give him my whole life."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:17:07 → 00:17:13]

Viral Topic: The Power of a Simple Invitation  
Quote: "there's all these things we try to do to get kids to read the Bible. She's not even come to our student programming at this point."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:18:00 → 00:18:05]

Viral Baptism Moment: "And this little boy came up and he was 10 years old and there were so Many baptisms that I had to go back there and help the community life team. So I'm looking at this kid, big eyes, he has tears in his eyes. And he's like, I want to get baptized."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:24:28 → 00:24:40]

The Importance of Family Worship: "What we miss though is worshiping as a family."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:28:14 → 00:28:17]

Viral Prayer for Community Impact: "I pray that there would be kids, students, parents, leading people to Jesus, that we would just start praying specifically by name for people you bring into our lives who don't know you or who are hurting, hurting. And that we would watch you work and be on the front row seat of that Lord."
— Mutheu Esilaba [00:34:07 → 00:34:07]

Viral Topic: How Faith Inspired My Social Enter

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Some days, you might play The River for some nice background music. Some days, you'll play it so your kids don't hear anything inappropriate. But some days, you listen because life has knocked you down, and you need help getting back up. We're here for all of them. Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to Jesus through music and service. You can listen and get connected at https://riverradio.com/

Transcript

Christen Clark [00:00:30]:

Welcome to the Collide Kids Podcast. I'm your host, Christen Clark and I am so glad that you're here for the very first episode of this new season. Man, I've missed you guys. It means so much to me that you're listening and spending this time with me today. I am so excited about this new season and all the things that God has put together. And we've got some great guests coming up this season. It's just going to be. I'm so excited.

Christen Clark [00:00:55]:

It's. It's been so fun recording these and putting these together and, and you're gonna hear from some amazing people. I also have a very exciting announcement. I have a brand new show. It's called 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents. It's just a quick, encouraging way for parents to stay rooted in God's word and I can't wait for you to check it out. That's coming out actually next week, so be sure to follow on social Mediaven or just follow me, Christen Clark and I can give you all the details and show you where to find all the good stuff, but definitely check that out. I know you are going to enjoy that, especially if you're a busy parent.

Christen Clark [00:01:33]:

Which parent is not busy? I don't know. And as always, I hope you will stick around to the end of today's interview where we have the let's talk about it segment. So that's where I'm going to share three questions. Some are silly, some are creative, some are faith filled. But all of them are to help spark some great conversations for you and your family. Also, if you have not already, be sure to head over to my website, collidekidspodcast.com and and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. That's gonna be the best way for you to stay in the loop about what's coming up. You'll get links to the shows, information about upcoming episodes, giveaways, fun extras.

Christen Clark [00:02:09]:

Sometimes I like to throw in a recipe cause I like cooking. And I've got some fun ideas for maybe your next family game night. So you definitely wanna check that out. You can sign up anytime at collidekidspodcast.com well, I am so excited for all that God has in store for this season. So I let's dive in with our first guest. Her name is Mutheu Isilaba and she was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. And she's been living in the United states for nearly 10 years. With over two decades of experience in student ministry and now serving as the family ministry director at her church in Michigan, Mutheu brings a fresh perspective on discipling the next generation.

Christen Clark [00:02:49]:

She is passionate about seeing kids and teens activate in their faith, doing unprecedented things with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, which if you're listening, you probably have a child in one of those generations making this an incredible time to serve and guide them. Mutheu also recently started a business that connects her love for Kenya with her life in the US it's an online store called Upeo Shop, which she's going to tell us more about selling beautiful handcrafted items from Kenya. You know, as we kick this school year off, I'm so excited to dive into a conversation about what it looks like to have a real hunger for God in our families. Mutheu shares practical ideas today that are going to inspire you about helping the next generation grow in their faith. And I can't wait for you to hear it. So here is my conversation with my friend. Mutheu Isilaba. Mutheu, I am so excited to have you on the Collide Kids podcast.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:03:54]:

Oh, thank you so much for having me. This is gonna be so fun.

Christen Clark [00:03:58]:

I know, it is gonna be so fun. We were just laughing a minute ago about how, you know, the Internet is interesting. Cause we get to just meet people online. Like it sounds dangerous, but it's not. It's really fun. We're doing it in a safe way, I promise.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:04:11]:

Yeah, it's a tool that the Lord could use. There you go.

Christen Clark [00:04:14]:

That's right, that's right. Would you just introduce yourself to our listeners to tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:04:20]:

Yeah, absolutely. My name is Mutheu Esilaba. So a fun African name. So I was born and raised in Nairobi, which is in Kenya, East Africa. And I have served the next generation really since I was 18 years old. When I was 18, I felt God called me to serve him with my whole life. And I didn't even fully know what that meant. I don't even think now I could have imagined what that, what that would have meant for my life and how my story has gone.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:04:48]:

But so I've served in many roles, sometimes as a stay at home mom and just disciple women in my home, sometimes on staff at a church. But right now I serve at our local church at 242 Community Church. In Michigan. There's seven campus across southeast Michigan. And I get to be the family ministry director. So I oversee the, like, how do we disciple the next generation for our kids in student ministry? So, yeah, I love my job. And another half of my job is I get to teach God's word at our church. So I'm on the teaching team and then I'm the family mission director and then I'm a mom.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:05:25]:

I have three boys.

Christen Clark [00:05:27]:

Nice.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:05:27]:

17, 15 and 10. So it's a fun full season.

Christen Clark [00:05:32]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:05:33]:

And they are delightful. They're absolutely delightful. And I'm married to Albo, who's also in ministry and has been. We've been in ministry together for 20, 20 years. Oh my gosh. We'll be married 20 years when this is coming out. We'll have.

Christen Clark [00:05:51]:

That's awesome. Very good. Well, I'm excited to talk with you today. And I love that we're gonna talk more about what you do with family ministry and just talking about revival. I think that's such an important thing. But before we do that, because this is a show for kids, I always ask my guests to tell me a joke or a funny story. So do you have something fun you wanna share with us?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:06:11]:

Yes, I have a funny story. So my husband and I have been in ministry. So my kids are pastor's kids through and through. My youngest was Minecraft. He was playing Minecraft. And he's like, mommy, come over here. And I go over and. And it's on fire.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:06:25]:

He's burning everything. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you're an arsonist. What is happening? And then as I'm freaking out, he's like, no, mommy, it's the fire of the Holy Spirit. I died. I was like, that's the perfect pastor child answer. That was quick. Quite hilarious. Like, okay, I guess I can't be mad.

Christen Clark [00:06:46]:

Listen, he is paying attention. That's so good. It even falls into the. It seeps into the video games as well. That's good.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:06:54]:

Yeah, it's like, I can be mad now.

Christen Clark [00:06:58]:

That's awesome. And he's not an arsonist. So now we know.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:07:01]:

Yeah.

Christen Clark [00:07:02]:

Well, let's talk a little bit first. I'd love to hear your story because you grew up in Nairobi and now you don't live in Nairobi. So what was that like, that transition? What made you decide to move to the United States?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:07:15]:

That's a great question. Yeah. So in Nairobi, we were part of a church called Nairobi Chapel. And our pastor was very visionary in terms of global partnership. So a Lot of partnership with Africa at the time was like more one sided and financial. But he had a vision of, you know, like, what does a global church look like? How can the Indian church teach us to be more faithful? How can the African church teach us how to be more vibrant in our worship? How can the American church, you know, like what, what does the globe have to offer each other in how we see God in the world? So I was an intern when there were all these like experiments in what this could look like. So I got to go on these really cool adventures. I remember going on a mission trip to Argentina.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:08:01]:

Three Kenyans, three Americans, three Northern Irelanders. Then we met the Argentinian team in the city, Buenos Aires, and then went 14 hours into the village. And it was fascinating because how we see poverty is so different. And we went to this like soup kitchen and all the Westerners are like, this is so sad. And we're like, this is great food. What's the problem? So it was just so interesting. I don't think I had the wisdom to understand what a gift that was. So I think my, my journey as a global person started at that time so that then we started exchanging stuff with different churches and my husband and I got to come.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:08:44]:

Wow. Before the 17 year old was born, so 18 years ago, we got to come to a church in Wisconsin and served for a year. Had the best time. It was a complete honeymoon experience. We didn't have kids. It was like we were in our 20s. We did young adult ministry. I did middle school ministry and loved it.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:09:01]:

There was like four graded middle schoolers at this church. It was like standing in a beehive. That was what our middle school ministry was like. Just energy and it was so fun. And then we were like, have a nice life, America. I mean, we didn't feel called to stay here at all. And we went back home. And then eight years later, the, the people who we had kind of been developed with and exchanged stuff with went into leadership at a church in Wisconsin.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:09:27]:

So they invited my husband to come and be the executive pastor at a church in Wisconsin. So that's how we moved. Now with three kids and a much less romantic experience, it got real. But, but it's been beautiful. I think God has allowed us to like be part of the local church in the Midwest area and to have our hearts broken for some things and to get excited about some things and to see him move. And yeah, I've enjoyed serving here knowing that, that I'm. I grew up in a very different environment and you Know, as a mom, I reflect about that a lot. Like, I was discipled in different soil.

Christen Clark [00:10:07]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:10:07]:

So what does that mean for my kids? And how do I disciple them?

Christen Clark [00:10:10]:

And I love that. Tell me about Kenya. Like, I. So I've never been to Kenya. What is it. What is it that you loved about growing up in Kenya?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:10:19]:

Let's go. Okay, so Kenya is right at the equator, so it's 72 degrees through the year.

Christen Clark [00:10:28]:

Lovely.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:10:28]:

It's just beautiful. And my parents have a mango farm. And you have never had a mango. I promise you, it's what you love. Mangoes here. It does not.

Christen Clark [00:10:39]:

It's not the same.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:10:39]:

Like, I'm a mango snob because I know what it should taste like. So the fruit is incredible. Community is a huge deal. So I just grew up around a lot of people. There was always people in our home. Faith is a big part of my story. My parents, believers. My grandpa was up in ministry on my mom's side and on my dad's side is a lot of pastors in that side of the family too.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:11:07]:

And so then we just grew up in faith. And like, knowing God and. And faith in Kenya isn't. Has to go beyond intellect because, like, my parents tribe had a lot of witchcraft, so God had to come in power. So my parents have crazy stories of God showing up in power and, like, encountering the forces of darkness and winning. We grew up in the city, so we didn't see it as much, but we heard the stories. That's how I grew up. So, yeah, just grew.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:11:38]:

I grew up kind of a denominational mutt. I think in the between the 30s and the 60s, there was an East African revival that kind of flattened the denominations. So if you go to a church in Nairobi, you will dance. Whether you're in a Pentecostal church, an Episcopal church, whether you're. They are chill. Whether they. You will dance and it' be vibrant and alive and there'll be harmonies in the congregation. It's just.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:12:05]:

Worship is incredible. When I go home, I just weep through the worship service. Even if it's like a fast song and we should be dancing. I'm just like, oh.

Christen Clark [00:12:17]:

I love that I. I dance all the time. And I do not. I do not. Well, I think it's part of being in kids ministry for so long. I know the hand motions and the feet movement for every word of every. You know, and when it doesn't have it, I just jump. And so I love you so much.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:12:33]:

You're my person.

Christen Clark [00:12:34]:

Yes, but that doesn't always fit in my Baptist church. So I like trying to bring people with me. I'm like, we should be bouncing right now. So I think I would love worshiping in Kenya. That sounds so fun.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:12:43]:

It's so fun.

Christen Clark [00:12:45]:

I don't understand how people can stand still. When you hear about the goodness of God and the resurrection and all the amazing things God's done for us, that makes my feet go. So I think maybe I'm part Kenyan, maybe.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:12:57]:

Yeah, you just need to come. You'll come in and be like, oh, this is home. This is where I'm from in my city.

Christen Clark [00:13:02]:

I think I would love it. I think I would love it. So now you're in a church in Michigan and you. We were talking earlier a little bit about the word revival. And you said that earlier you grew up in revival. Can you explain what that is and what it's like to grow up in that?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:13:18]:

Yeah, I think this is a great conversation. I think that the Lord is at work right now in Gen Z and Gen Alpha in a very special way.

Christen Clark [00:13:28]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:13:29]:

And I think if you're listening to me and you're Gen Z and Gen Alpha and you have a hunger for God, he's doing something really special with your generation. So revival for me means that God has poured out his spirit and he's at work in ways that are beyond human understanding. It's not like we did such a cool camp, and the camp High is so amazing. It's like, beyond that, you know?

Christen Clark [00:13:52]:

Right.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:13:53]:

Um, so I. That's what I'm observing. I think for a while now. I've been praying for God to revitalize the North American church. And my lens is youth ministry. That's where I came from before I stepped into family ministry. And I'd been doing youth ministry for a long time in our subculture of church. We are a recovering attractional church, model church.

Christen Clark [00:14:19]:

Okay.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:14:19]:

So it was very, like, entertainment oriented and, you know, like, it's fun. It's super fun. And we have so much sugar and some Jesus, you know?

Christen Clark [00:14:28]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:14:29]:

So. So I always wrestled with that, coming from Kenya and having seen God do crazy things and knowing that he's enough, like, I don't need to give you sugar for you to come and meet him.

Christen Clark [00:14:42]:

That's right.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:14:43]:

Even if there's nothing wrong with sugar, like, we can have brownies after, you know? But I was just, like, wrestling with that as our expression. Family ministry in the subculture of church I was in. And it came from a great place. It came from a place of wanting to engage the next generation and not being boring. I get it and it's beautiful. But I think I had, I had begun to see us miss something and have. And began to watch kids and students desire a bigger God than we were offering and need a bigger God than we were offering because they were going through heavy things. And this cute little plastic one that fits in your pocket wasn't big enough.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:15:20]:

And I was like, but I know he's bigger. And it was almost like, you can't introduce that God is too much. He's hard to control in a one hour program, you know. So anyway, I've wrestled with this for years. And as a practitioner and as someone who has been offering the little plastic Jesus with sugar, I mean, I've not wrestled with it from the outside. It's been like, what I'm doing. So then the last few years, I've seen a hunger and a sugar shift in what students desire. So the song and dance and the brownies and the little Jesus were not working anymore.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:15:56]:

They had worked for a while in a way that we can measure, even if I don't know that they were working for eternity. But even in the way that we can measure, it was beginning to break down. And I was like, there's something here, there's something here. And I was getting excited because I was like, can I not bring the Jesus I know? And I would sit with students and hear their stories and share how I know Jesus. And they would be like, tell me more, you know? So as I've been praying for revival, I started to see what God was doing with college students. Asbury was the first big thing.

Christen Clark [00:16:31]:

Yes. We've been seeing that on the news and that's just been amazing to watch.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:16:35]:

That I've just been crying like, lord, please let this fire jump into the church, you know?

Christen Clark [00:16:42]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:16:43]:

And then I began to hear stories in our church of older gen Z. Like this one girl, I bumped into her at a coffee shop and I have a T shirt on from camp. So she sees a verse and comes to talk to me. And as we're talking, I realized she comes to our church and, and then I, and then I ask her about her testimony and she starts to tell me and I'm crying in this coffee shop because she's an expression of this, like, hungry, running to Jesus. I just want to give him my whole life. First kid. Then I meet another student, college student, similar. Like I feel God calling me to move to Spain to share the gospel and telling me her story.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:17:23]:

Then I start meeting teenagers. This 15 year old gets baptized at our church, and she's in my son's friend group. So I reach out to her and I say, tell me more, like, how did you get here to getting baptized. What's God doing in your life? And she's explaining, coming from not a church background, being invited to church by another teenager, and then just beginning to fall in love with Jesus and being given a Bible. And she says to me, she opened Genesis and she just started to weep. And I'm listening to her and. And I'm like, there's all these things we try to do to get kids to read the Bible. She's not even come to our student programming at this point.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:18:06]:

And she's just like, give me all the Jesus.

Christen Clark [00:18:09]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:18:10]:

So I just start meeting one after another after another, and it's like a cloud in the horizon. You know the story of Elijah when he's praying for rain and he goes up to the mountainside and he's praying and he's praying, and he asks his servant, go and check is there rain coming? And the servant says, there's a cloud the size of a fist. That's what I see. I feel like God is answering, beginning to answer a prayer that has been prayed for a long time by our fathers and mothers. And. And I'm watching it. I'm watching it roll out.

Christen Clark [00:18:42]:

Yes, I agree. I. I love, I love that you shared that. And I think it's so interesting, too. One of the reasons I love this podcast is just hearing the stories of people. And I think sometimes it's great to go to church and to listen to a great sermon or to listen to great music. But what speaks to my heart every time is hearing the testimony of what God is doing in individual lives. And I just love that.

Christen Clark [00:19:05]:

And I agree with you. I think God's doing something in this younger generation. I love this story this happened. I was helping in children's choir in my church. I think this was last year. And this one little boy came to his choir group. It was just a group of kindergarteners. And they started talking, and he tells everyone that he asked Jesus into his heart.

Christen Clark [00:19:25]:

And they said, well, I wanna do that. And then the next kid said, well, I wanna do that. And so the teacher reported and said, there's revival breaking out in the kindergarten choir group, you know, because they're all just sharing. And I think that's all it takes is just being able to share what God is doing in us. Because we think, I've gotta have all the answers. And I've Gotta know every single thing before I can say, but just telling your story is so important.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:19:49]:

That's so sweet because that's some of what I'm seeing in this revival, that there's a very short gap between I met Jesus and I'm introducing other people to him. I think we had understood that you need to meet Jesus and then learn the whole Bible and then figure out how to share your faith and then share Jesus. I'm seeing a three week gap. This person got baptized and now they're baptizing their friend. And I'm just like, okay. Yeah, it's so sweet.

Christen Clark [00:20:14]:

It really is. So thinking about the families that are listening right now, like the parents who are like, I want this. I want this for my kids, I want this for my family. How do we feel? Foster that? Like, how do we cultivate a revival in our home?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:20:28]:

I think, I think for me, this journey has made me hunger for God more. I'm so in love with Jesus Christian right now. I think the fire of the next generation is God is using it to purify us as a church and remind us our first love for him.

Christen Clark [00:20:48]:

Yes.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:20:49]:

And that's my prayer for the adults listening to me like you, if you knew Jesus in a sweet way and have fallen away because of all the things, the soccer and the running and the work and the bills. Like, remember your first love in Romans Revelations. Revelation talks about this. Remember your first love. And I think God is using the hunger of the younger. I. I've watched a grandma wake up at one in the morning and say, I'm supposed to get baptized by my college student grandchild.

Christen Clark [00:21:20]:

Wow.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:21:20]:

Like God is using this fire to wake us up as a church. So chase Jesus and hunger for him yourself. And then I think one thing I feel I'm feeling challenged to do as a mom is invite my kids to the authentic journey I'm on. Just like they're not waiting to figure it all out to share their faith. I think we feel ill equipped. So we don't say, you know, I'm waiting to figure this out and read the book and have the podcast and then I'll share with my kids.

Christen Clark [00:21:50]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:21:50]:

But God is. Has challenged me about just the journey I'm on of falling in love with him again. How do I bring my kids on to that journey? How do I share it with them? I'm reading a book right now again about revival in the Hebrides, which is an island off of Wales. So I'm intrigued. I'm like, I want to hear what God did in the past with Revival. Not because I want him to do the exact same thing. I think he'll do what he's doing right now, but to like, feed my faith and my curiosity and give me pictures of what's possible.

Christen Clark [00:22:22]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:22:23]:

And I'm reading this book with my 10 year old, like, why not, Right? Like oldish English. But I'm like, yes, we thou. And also, what are these stories? How cool is this? You know? So I, I think just like, don't wait to figure it out and be perfect. Fall in love with Jesus and then, yeah, go with your kids, students, grandkids, whatever youth are around you. Go on that journey. Another thing is listen. That's been one of the words God has given me. Listen to this next generation, to what the Lord is doing in them, and then ask him what should I do? And I'm not even sure I know fully.

Christen Clark [00:23:05]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:23:06]:

But as I've been listening to kids and students as they share their stories, it's given me direction for, okay, this is how I need to pray for you. Or, you know, kids are coming out of the water saying, teach me how to pray. You know? So then you will know. Okay, how do I come around you? How do I find the flame? How do I be part of what God is already doing? It's actually quite light because God is already doing it. It's like, how do I. If you make room, he'll fill it.

Christen Clark [00:23:33]:

Yeah. It's like that book, I don't know if you read Experiencing God many years ago.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:23:38]:

Yes, yes.

Christen Clark [00:23:39]:

Harry Blackaby. But he said, go to where God is already working.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:23:43]:

Yes.

Christen Clark [00:23:43]:

So if you don't know what to figure out what God is already at work at and just join him. Because like you said, it's light, it's easy, he's doing the heavy lifting. We just get to be a part of it. And it's an opportunity and a privilege when we get to be a part of amazing stories like that and we get to see radical transformation. Tell me some stories about when you've been able to see how God's done some amazing things in your life and your ministry.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:24:07]:

Man, I'm just thinking about many random stories. So in my teaching role, I get to go to the different campuses and it's so fun because I have this perspective of what God is doing. I just tell you a couple stories. So at Easter, I was teaching at a campus and we made an invitation for baptisms, for salvation. And this little boy came up and he was 10 years old and there were so Many baptisms that I had to go back there and help the community life team. So I'm looking at this kid, big eyes, he has tears in his eyes. And he's like, I want to get baptized. I'm like, do you understand salvation? Do you understand what Jesus did for you? And I'm walking through this salvation story with his mom.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:24:47]:

His dad has gone to the kids ministry to get his little brother so that he doesn't miss the baptism. So as we're talking, I say, you know, like, who would you like to baptize you? And I'm assuming that his parents are already baptized. And my husband comes in just in time to say, have you guys been baptized? That's the only thing we ask is that you've been baptized first. And they're like, no. And dad looks at the mom and says, you should get baptized. And he's bawling. And so she's like, I'm gonna do it. She was listening to me all the time talk about what it means.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:25:18]:

So then my husband baptizes the mom and then she baptizes the little boy. And as I'm listening to the story of this family and how they ended up here, what their story is. Their story is that the seven year old just started talking about church incessantly at home. He's like, I want to go to church. I want to go to church. I don't go to church. So the parents are like, okay. I don't know how they ended up at our church.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:25:42]:

I don't know if they googled or they had a mutual friend who came to our church, but that's how they ended up at our church. And this seven year old is the one who's been talking about baptism. Not even the 10 year old. So just watching the Lord like grab the hearts of people himself.

Christen Clark [00:25:57]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:25:58]:

Another one is an 8th grade student who asked me to baptize her. So I used to be the student pastor. So I remembered her and I text her mom to set up a meeting so that we can meet and, you know, hear her testimony. And I call in her small group leader. So it's me, her small group leader, her mom and her. And we're just asking her testimony and why she wants to do this. And so she says that she's having communion at church and the Lord convicts her about her sin. And she's like, okay, I feel like I'm not living in a way that honors God, so let me start reading my Bible.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:26:32]:

She doesn't tell anybody. She doesn't go to youth group. She doesn't tell her mom. She just starts reading her Bible and she starts in Genesis and I'm like, okay, so she reads Genesis and then she reads the Exodus. I'm like, oh my gosh, let me take her. The TO is coming. And then she, and then she says, I wanted to know how it ends, so I jumped to revelation. Not light stuff.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:26:54]:

But then she looks at me and she says, I don't want to be lukewarm because there's letters in Revelations where Jesus is telling the churches, choose whether you're hot or cold, don't be lukewarm. So that language she's getting straight from her time in Scripture.

Christen Clark [00:27:10]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:27:11]:

So then she gets baptized and I end up sharing her testimony with her permission in a service. And this older gentleman is just bawling and he comes to talk to me later and he says, when you said I don't want to be lukewarm, and that's what the 13 year old said. That's exactly me. So watching not just young people come to Jesus, but the impact of their obedience and faith on the rest of the church. Oh my gosh, I could go on for a long time, but I'll stop there. It's been so cool.

Christen Clark [00:27:41]:

The word revival means awakening. So we're like revived. We're, we're coming back. And so that extra passion, that excitement about sharing our faith, about loving Jesus and having that relationship with him, what are some things that parents can do to help their children cultivate that with them?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:28:00]:

I think being in God's presence. One of the things about my kind of church is age appropriate learning, which is beautiful in every kid, goes to their space and lands in the environment. What we miss though is worshiping as a family. So worship nights, if there's a concert of someone, a worship leader coming to your town, like just being in God's presence together, having YouTube, playing with YouTube in your house, that's been something that's been really sweet with our boys. And, and we're from Africa, so like they, they're consuming Maverick City. But also a song from Nigeria and a song from Kenya.

Christen Clark [00:28:43]:

Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:28:44]:

And kind watching different ways that people are running into God's presence and just sitting there, exposing our kids to God's presence with us, I think is so beautiful and also really simple. Going back to reading scripture together. Not a devotional. I love them. There's so many good ones, but one of the most revolutionary things we've done. And it's so embarrassing because we are pastors, but it's been revolutionary in the last two years. It's just reading scripture with our kids, not a fun thing. You know, we have all the access right now.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:29:18]:

Media. We've watched those videos. They're great. And my kids still watch them. But as a family, just reading through a passage a couple times and then asking, what do you sense God saying to you? Or what's confusing or what's curious or what do you think God is saying to us as a family? I think that's been amazing. And to hear golden nuggets coming from my children. Yeah, because the Holy Spirit, there's no mini Holy Spirit, you know, like the Holy Spirit is alive and well in them.

Christen Clark [00:29:48]:

That's right.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:29:48]:

And a child can lead us as. As they are also encountering the Lord. Just doing spiritual practices with our kids, whatever those are for your family or your faith tradition. Just inviting your kids in more intentionally and letting them into your internal process, too. And sometimes we want to protect our kids. And I mean, we need to be age appropriate. Don't tell them all the things. But it's like, you know, God is breaking my about this, or I'm feeling convicted about a sin.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:30:17]:

You know, I may not be able to share with you the whole thing, but, you know, so that they can see, you know, follow me as I follow Jesus. This is what it's looking like for me to follow Jesus.

Christen Clark [00:30:26]:

Right.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:30:27]:

And then you can then see that in. In the role. I don't have it perfect before you. I just need to be chasing him and then we can chase him together.

Christen Clark [00:30:36]:

And I think that takes the pressure off, too, to think I have to have it all together. I have to have all the answers to all the questions. And you mentioned a great resource a few minutes ago that if you don't know the answer to a question, you can Google it. You can find good resources and good places to look. But just making sure that you're not waiting to share your faith and what God's doing in your heart. I think that's some of the most beautiful moments I've had with my kids, are when I just share what God's doing in me. Like, God's teaching me something about this, and it's exciting to me. And I want you to listen to this.

Christen Clark [00:31:10]:

And they're like, okay, you know, glad you're excited, Mom. But it's also showing them that our parents can be excited about the Bible just like we are. So I love this. I'm so excited. And especially this episode is coming out right before school starts. And so there's lots of things getting started. Like, we're starting our schedules, we're starting our fall activities and all the things. And I love that we can maybe bring God into this first.

Christen Clark [00:31:36]:

Before we start anything else, let's start with the Lord, and let's start with making a revival in our home a priority. So would you just. I just feel like we need to pray right now. Would you just pray right now for the people that are listening today, for people that might not be listening yet, and just pray for revival in the homes of many believers in our country today?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:31:58]:

Yeah. So good. Let's pray. Oh, God, I thank youk for how youw are on the move right now. I thank you for the stirring of our hearts and the quickening in our spirits that we, we feel rallied, we feel called. And I pray that we would rise, that as families, we would create spaces to encounter you together. And I pray that as, as kids, as teenagers, as college students, as ministry leaders, as parents, wherever we are, we would allow for you to move mightily in our hearts right now. And I pray that you give us boldness.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:32:43]:

I think of the boldness of the disciples and apostles and Acts who went from hiding and being afraid to boldly declaring their faith. And I just think so many of us in the church have been ineffective in our sharing of the gospel. We've been timid. We've been on. On undercover mode. Maybe nobody in our school knows we follow Jesus. And I just pray that you would fill us with your spirit and with a boldness and you'd give us wisdom that we would know what to say and when to say. That we would have such a beautiful posture in the community that the aroma of Christ draws others to you.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:33:25]:

And I pray, Lord, that there would be fruit. I pray that there would be kids, students, parents, leading people to Jesus, that we would just start praying specifically by name for people you bring into our lives who don't know you or who are hurting, hurting. And that we would watch you work and be on the front row seat of that Lord. And I thank you that this is light. I thank you that your burden is easy. And I pray that our weight would just fall and we would just flow with you. We would just make room for what you're already doing. NASA we would be alert that when there is something that you want us to do or respond to, we would be sensitive to your spirit.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:34:08]:

And I thank you so much for just all the opportunities that are before us. May we see them. May we have your eyes. In Jesus name, I pray Amen.

Christen Clark [00:34:18]:

Amen. Thank you. Thank you so much for doing that. Well, Matheu, this has been so good. I'm so excited. I'm like, let's go, let's love it. And I'd love for you to share a little bit about you have a business all around your passion for Kenya. It's called the Upeo Shop.

Christen Clark [00:34:38]:

Will you tell us a little bit about that?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:34:39]:

Yeah. So when I was leaving Kenya this last time, so 10ish years ago now, I had just come out of running a non profit and had just gotten excited about social enterprise. So enterprise as a way to solve social problems. And, and, and Jesus was all over that journey for me. And then we came to America and I was like, okay, so then every so often I've asked the Lord like what do I need to do with this? And I haven't really heard an answer or like a clear directive. And then about a year and a half ago I just felt God saying it's time to dream again. So I just started dreaming and kind of followed Hansel and Gretel, Holy Spirit, Breadcrumb Journey and ended up starting an online store called Upeoshop. And right now we have like these little soapstone hippos on there.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:35:31]:

They're so cute.

Christen Clark [00:35:32]:

So cute. Although I would say the videos I've seen of hippos chasing boats and stuff, I would never want to encounter a hippo.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:35:41]:

No, you don't, you don't.

Christen Clark [00:35:43]:

They're. But those are adorable.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:35:44]:

It's so funny because my youth pastor, how he decided to go into ministry in Kenya is that he fell into a lake in Kenya that had hippos and he told God, if I survive to the shore, I will, I will serve you with my whole life. And made it. And, and yeah, so you don't want to meet a real one, but these are super cute.

Christen Clark [00:36:04]:

But get one of those because they're super cute. Yeah.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:36:07]:

So I just, the hippo is so random. I don't know why I fell in love with hippo. So that's been kind of our mascot product and then we're going to grow our products as I talk to different partners in Kenya and a lot of people will come to Kenya and help people make stuff and then there's dead stock. So trying to find where there's market for product, what product people are interested in and then partnering with different organizations. So I've just started. It's been a really, that's really exciting. My 10 year old made the logo, talking about kids and students and my, my 17 year old set up the table that you could see on the website of the pictures. So my kids have been super involved, and I think, I love that the vision of if this does well, it builds up people and can, you know, so they catch the vision.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:36:55]:

That's good.

Christen Clark [00:36:56]:

What does upeo mean?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:36:57]:

Upeo means. So upeo. Macho is a whole expression that means the horizon kind of as far as the eye could see. And I think God has allowed me to experience such different things and have such a global mindset. And I think for me was about, like, connecting cultures, you know, so expanding each other's boundaries as kind of. Kind of from my home to yours. That's a tagline which a friend of mine gave it to me. So good.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:37:27]:

So good. Like, this is America is my home and Kenya is my home. And just connecting those two and expanding our horizons is kind of the theme.

Christen Clark [00:37:36]:

I love that. That's beautiful. Very good. Well, we'll put the link in our show notes so our listeners can go check that out and see your cute little hippos. Well, this has been so good. Thank you so much for being on the show. Before I let you go, I always ask my guests to tell me a memory from when they were a kid. So what memory do you want to share with us today?

Mutheu Esilaba [00:37:55]:

Ooh, okay. I want to actually share about how I decided to follow Jesus. I was nine years old, and I've kind of talked already about revival. And my parents were part of the revival in East Africa between the 30s and the 60s. And part of the revival was how you greeted each other, was you said hello, and then you said what God was doing in your life. So an uncle comes to visit us. I'm the baby in my family. We're five kids.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:38:20]:

And he says hello, and he says his testimony. And then he looks at us like, your turn. And I was like, oh, my gosh. I don't know. I don't know if I'm saved. I don't know if I'm going to heaven. So my brother begins and he shares his story. And I'm the baby.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:38:33]:

I'm waiting. So I make something up. I lied and I just picked a random date and a random place and threw it out there. And everyone bursts out laughing because it didn't make sense that I'm like, I'm definitely going to hell. So then I could find my mom. And she was so sweet. She. She knew that we'd.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:38:53]:

I'd heard the gospel my whole life, but she didn't take anything for granted. She Took me to our study and shared again how Jesus died on the cross for me. And. And I remember feeling conviction. I remember feeling Jesus death on the cross and weeping about it and genuinely, like, deciding to follow him for the rest of my life. And I'll never forget it. 1989, I just dated myself, but it's fine. I'm old.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:39:20]:

It's amazing to follow Jesus, and I'm still following him, and I still love him so much. Maybe more.

Christen Clark [00:39:26]:

I love that. Oh, that's so good. I love that story. Well, Mateo, thank you so much for being on the show. It was great having you, and I am excited about what God is going to do in this generation in the next. And just we're going to keep praying for revival.

Mutheu Esilaba [00:39:40]:

Yes. Let's do it. It's been so fun. Christen, thank you so much.

Christen Clark [00:39:53]:

Oh, I just love that. What a beautiful prayer that Mutheo offered today that always blesses me when we get to pray together. So thank you for listening to that. I loved when we were talking about mangoes. That makes me crave, like, a mango smoothie right now. I love mangoes. Now I need to taste a mango from Kenya because she said they were so good. I love this whole conversation about revival.

Christen Clark [00:40:14]:

I think it's so important that we learn more about it and that we start praying for it as a family. She said revival is when we have this hunger for God, when we're running to Jesus, giving him our whole lives. And she defined revival as when God is pouring out his spirit and he's at work in ways that are beyond human understanding. So let's kick off this new season with revival. Right. This is a great topic to start with because I want to start praying for revival in my church, in my family, in my community, and I hope you'll join me in that prayer as well. We want to move towards God and hunger for him and fall in love with him. And I love the encouragement Mutheu gave us parents that we don't have to wait to figure it all out first.

Christen Clark [00:40:57]:

Just. Just taking our kids along for the journey of hungering for God ourselves is a great way to disciple them in this time. It's so important to do these spiritual practices together, like worshiping together as a family and praying and talking about scriptures. If you'd like to learn more about Mutheu, definitely go check out her shop, upeoshop.com and you can see the cute little hippos and all the Kenyan products. It's incredible. I hope you'll check that out. And support that ministry. All right, well, now it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show, our Family Discussion segment.

Christen Clark [00:41:32]:

This is where we ask some fun and thoughtful questions to help you keep the conversation going. You can pause after each question if you'd like to talk about it together right now, especially if you're sitting in the car, this is a great time to do that. Or listen to all the questions and figure out which one you want to talk about first. Whatever works best for your family, but let's talk about it. So here's the first question. What would revival look like in your family or church? Can you imagine that or define that? What would that look like? Here's the second one. What are some simple ways that you can invite your family into your own hunger for God? What are ways that we can include everyone in the family? Is that through prayer? Worship? What are some spiritual practices you can do together as a whole family to grow in your hunger for God together? And number three, what's one step you can take this week to run to Jesus and give him more of your life? Well, I hope these questions spark some great ideas and conversations with you and your family. Listen if you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow along on social media.

Christen Clark [00:42:40]:

I'm @collidekidspod on Instagram and Facebook and share this with a friend who might need the encouragement today or might be needing that revival in their life. You can also visit collidekidspodcast.com for more episodes, family resources and ways for you to grow in your faith together. And while you're there, don't forget to sign up for the monthly newsletter and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch the full interview for today's episode and listen. I am so grateful that you are listening today. That is such a huge support and encouragement to me just that you've downloaded this episode and you're listening together. If you'd like to take it a step further in supporting the show, there's a few things you can do you can leave a rating and review. It really does help more families find out about the show. You can also use the links on our website collidekidspodcast.com to shop through our Amazon link or support through Buy Me a Coffee.

Christen Clark [00:43:32]:

And of course your prayers mean so much to me in this ministry, so thank you. Well, I am praying for revival in my family's life and in my church and in my community, and I hope you will join me in that prayer and praying that for your family as well. I hope that this episode encouraged you and filled you up and helped you get excited about the things that God wants to do in your life. And in case no one has told you today, I would love to be the first to remind you that God loves you so much. Thanks for listening.